Germany Priority Application 100 53 977.7, filed Oct. 31, 2000 and including the specification, drawings, claims, and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a supporting device for a plurality of adapter chucks for the precision grinding and/or polishing of surfaces of optical components, the receiving chucks being provided with a vacuum/gas connector and the supporting device comprising a spindle shaft having a central bore for the supply of vacuum/gas.
An adapter chuck of this type for the machining of individual lenses is known from DE 198 12 186 A1. A supporting device having a plurality of such adapter chucks is described in DE 100 03 291.5. The supporting device consists of a base body and a lid portion. Set into the lid portion are a plurality of the adapter chucks, which contain elastic supporting elements for the lens rests. The supporting elements are adapted via a vacuum/gas supply to the bearing surfaces of the optical components to be machined.
The top of the lid is spherically adapted to the radius of a grinding or polishing tool. The components lying in the adapter chuck, such as, for example, convex or concave lenses, are pressed by means of the supporting elements, by the surface to be machined, against the hemispherical grinding or polishing tool. The adapter chuck with the elastic supporting elements can be fixedly set into the lid portion. However, it may also be rotatably mounted in the lid portion, via a cylindrical holder. A plurality of adapter chucks may be retained in the lid portion symmetrically to the axis of the spindle.
The lid portion may be fixed interchangeably on the base body in order to permit an adaptation of the system to different radii of the hemispherical grinding or polishing tools. The expense in material and time required to produce the lid portions is substantial, since lid portions have to be provided not only for different machining radii but also different diameters of the adapter chucks. This increases the storage space required. The setup times for changing the lid portions are non-negligible, in particular in the case of short machining runs.
It was therefore an object of the invention, while retaining the multiple arrangement of adapter chucks of the type described, to expedite adaptation to different machining radii and reduce the effort involved in storing adapter chucks.
The present invention provides for a supporting device for a plurality of adapter chucks for the precision grinding or polishing of optical components, comprising: a spindle shaft having a central bore for supplying one of a gas and a vacuum; at least one arm adjustably supported by a head of the spindle shaft, adjustable as to its angle of inclination relative to an axis of the spindle shaft, and having a seating for an adapter chuck; and a flexible vacuum/gas line provided between the seating and the spindle shaft.
In a further aspect, the supporting device further comprises a supporting plate, approximately symmetric relative to the axis of the spindle shaft, movably connected to the spindle shaft.
In another aspect, the support device further comprises supports of the same number of arms, fixed on the periphery of the supporting plate, on each of which an outer end of a corresponding arm is pivotably connected.
In yet another aspect, a circumferential groove approximately perpendicular to the axis of the spindle shaft is provided on the head of the spindle shaft, in which an inner end of each arm is pivotably supported.
As a result of the disposition of angularly adjustable arms having seatings for the adapter chucks and a flexible vacuum/gas connector between the seatings and the spindle shaft, the production and storage of different lid portions is eliminated. The seatings in the arms can be adapted in a simple manner to the fixing portions of conventional adapter chucks with elastic supporting elements for individual lens machining. The angular adjustment of the arms permits rapid adaptation of the position of the adapter chuck to suit different radii of the hemispherical grinding or polishing tools. As a result of a suitable design of the angular adjustment, the position of the arms can be adapted to both convexly and concavely curved hemispherical grinding or polishing tools. Varying the size and number of the arms permits simple adaptation to adapter chucks of different diameters.
By adjusting the supporting plate with respect to the spindle shaft, the bearings on the supports can be brought continuously from a position above the groove (corresponding to a convexly curved tool) into a position below the groove (corresponding to a concavely curved tool). The direction of the axes of the adapter chucks located in the seatings changes with this adjustment.